God and Evil (Part 1): The Thorn
The “Problem of Evil” has always been a thorn in the side of theologians. But that does not mean it is unanswerable. There are Biblical ways to answer the issue that are internally consistent, but to some, they are unsatisfying because they don’t buy into the theology. What I hope to do here is briefly, yet thoroughly (I pray for both, I’ll settle for either), explain God’s relationship to evil from the Biblical perspective. This presentation is the majority belief among theologians with some variations, but in general it is the same. There are a other “theodicies” (explanations of God’s relationship to evil) out there, with which I am not fully familiar, because this one is internally and biblically consistent (although I do hope to learn more about the other positions at some point in time). What will follow is commonly known as the “Free-Will Argument.”
The “Free-Will Argument” is summed up in: God created man with purpose and free-will, both of which are good. Man used his free-will to violate God’s purpose for him, and evil resulted. “God cannot accomplish two ends simultaneously–give humans free will and remove evil–without contradicting his intentions to do one or the other. Since God cannot do both simultaneously, he is not guilty of the evil present in the world, for no moral agent is guilty for failing to do that which he could not do.” [1]. But this leaves some unanswered questions: What about natural disasters? What about innocent children who have done no wrong? What about the genocide/ethnic cleansing ordered by God in the Old Testament book of Joshua? And I’m certain there are more.
I don’t think it is wise to try to cover all of the above in one post. It will take too long to finish writing, and you won’t read it all. So I’ll chop it up into chewable chunks, and choose the most challenging to champion (and I’ll try to entertain you with alliteration). In this post I’ll just outline the problem…
The Crux of the Problem of Evil
Here are the basic premises of the “Evil” argument against God: If the God of the Bible exists, He must be wholly good, and all-powerful. If evil exists, then either 1) God is not wholly good (because He created or does not prevent evil), 2) God is not all-powerful (because He cannot prevent evil), or 3) God does not exist. Evil exists, therefore, either 1, 2, or 3 above must be true. It is possible to say that evil does not exist (e.g. Christian Science), but the existence of evil is self-evident. Try telling someone who is hurting that evil does not exist…in doing so they will think you are evil, so you will prove yourself wrong.
Those that choose to believe God is not wholly Good are small in number. They can be considered the “far-right” of the spectrum, such as “hyper-calvinists”. They often say that God purposes every act, good or evil, to fulfill his will or that God “causes” evil. This sacrifices the free-will of man and God’s goodness all to God’s determinism. However, the Free-Will argument, does not sacrifice God’s sovereignty, in fact, it requires it. But it does not charge God with evil.
Most of those who chose not to “punt” God, opt for the “God is not all-powerful” perspective. This can be seen in much of modern liberal theology. They will sacrifice God’s foreknowledge of events, or God’s control over current or future events. Ultimately, God has to “clean-up” man’s sin and the evil in the world, because He doesn’t see it coming or cannot do anything about it in the moment. The Free-Will Argument requires God to be as He is described in the Bible, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, all-loving and just.
In my experience, premise 3, the God of the Bible does not exist, is the most common. This usually results in some form of agnosticism, and in the extreme, atheism. But this is not necessary. There is a way to keep the God of the Bible and all of His biblical characteristics as a coherent belief in a world with evil. Which I hope to demonstrate in the coming posts.
Be forewarned: there is no intellectual understanding that can ease the pain that is the result of evil. The most accurate, well-considered, Biblical arguments for the existence of evil, cannot remotely ease the pain of suffering. Actually, merely tossing out a “God is in control” can cause the suffering to be worse. We are called to love others through their suffering, by listening to them, mourning with them, serving them and praying with/for them. The posts that follow will serve as the foundation for this, it won’t be a Godly ointment that heals all wounds. To use it as such would be wrong.
My prayer is that the posts that will follow will be beneficial for those that adopt any of the above premises, as well as believers who still struggle with the problem. So let’s start there….how are your beliefs challenged by the existence of evil? What are some of your questions about God and evil? (Please try to refrain from “answering” your own or others questions…lest we run out of things to talk about…).
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[1] Feinberg, J. S. “Theodicy”, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2nd Ed. Edited by Walter Elwell. (Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, 2001). pg. 1185.
Posted on January 8, 2011, in All Posts, Apologetics, Philosophy, Sovereignty, Theology and tagged Epikouros, Free-Will Argument, God and Evil, Problem of Evil, Theodicy. Bookmark the permalink. 8 Comments.
Romans 1:21-25;/ Eph. 6:12
When we are left to our own devices the imagination is unquenchable and the lusts of the eyes and flesh are beyond bounds when not reined in and checked.
God did not make us puppets, that He pulls a string to make us His, we either choose to accept Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, the only LIVING GOD who gives life abundant or we accept the Father of lies who only comes to kill, steal and destroy.
What is the word testimony without “test”, its through these tests that we learn and draw close into God as never before. We wrestle not with flesh and blood but with principilities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world, wickedness in high places….if u do not see good or evil its because the Father of Lies has blinded you to the truth.
Nita…thanks for stopping by. There is no denying that evil exists (not rationally, at least). We should always be thankful for God’s provision (providence, His Word, His Son…). Thanks, again for visiting my site. Love you. –Paul
Question 1: why did you use the phrase “buy into”? Strange that you would use it, because most of the time that’s how it feels. As if I’m almost being swindled into it. Not necessarily you, but many others. As if they have something to gain for their self.
Question 2: when you say “God cannot accomplish two ends simultaneously–give humans free will and remove evil–without contradicting his intentions to do one or the other…”, it seems you are making an excuse. As if an almighty being can have inadequacies. We’re “created in his image, so I don’t see why (if creation is true) he couldn’t instill what ever it was he had for himself that allowed him to overcome it in us. You could say “he did it so we could love him on our own free will”, but it seems that thrusting us into a flawed “life” without our consent so we could choose to love him is a little selfish.(As if its all a game/test)[this is my thoughts. I couldn't put it in question form, but hope you can elaborate on this]
Question 3: no doubt evil exists! But, I think the way we view it is a little skew. I think it is necessary. I see it as a part of an equation that’s main function is balance. Everything has its opposite. The same goes for good and evil. They are equal yet opposing forces, much like all other forces in nature. When an animal is brutally mauled by a lion for dinner, it seems evil. However, this is the lions nature and how it feeds and exists. When an animal gives birth or cares for its young (same as we do) its considered good and a miracle. Both are necessary and equally as important. When you said ” Try telling someone who is hurting that evil does not exist…in doing so they will think you are evil, so you will prove yourself wrong…”, I don’t think that a biased persons opinion could be considered proof of another person being evil. People have pain, people die, people mourn, as well as many other equal yet opposite “good things”… Evil is to good, the same as dark is to light, the same as death is to birth. If everybody who was ever born never died, we’d have some serious over populations issues far beyond what we have now… Its a natural, necessary force from the way I see it. ” Through time everything loses its luster. The same could be said for peace. Without war, appreciation for peace would be minimal. All things have there opposites, which is a necessary evil at times. War renews our appreciation for peace…
This basic rule can be applied to all things. Its through dabbling in the opposite of our desires that we renew our appreciation for that which we desire. ”
[Sorry, but I could see how to put all this in question form, but I would like for you to elaborate and show you perspective on it]
There will be more in the next posts that gets to what you are asking about. But 1) “buy into” is a figure of speech, don’t read into it…but I do note the irony you bring up. 2) There are things God cannot do even though he is God. He cannot violate His nature. He cannot lie. These aspects of God you call “inadequacies” are logically requirements. They do not make Him any less God. 3) Actually, I somewhat agree with most of what you say, but not for the same reasons you say it. If you think about it, in your #3 you answer your #2 (If God wants us to choose Him, He has to give us something else to choose that is not Him–balance?). More to follow…Love you, Cuz. –Paul
Are referring that god gave us “balance” as another choice aside from him and the devil, or “balance” is of the “devil”. Balance is something that i see everyday in everything. It is a law of nature on a very basic level. If god designed everything, then he surely designed the principal of “balance”. It is ever present in every aspect of everything anybody has ever experienced, touched, seen. It’s what allows our planet to reside in this “perfect” zone from the sun (a balance of inertia and gravity). it is an ambivalent “force”, that can be used for good, bad, or nothing. when something is cmpletely good or bad, i see it as out of balance. you cannot have one without the other. one must possess a percentage of “evil” within them in order to not be naive of it (yin and yang). The same goes for the opposite, if thats the choice one makes. If one understands only good, yet an evil person understands good as well as evil; then what is to keep the evil person from taking advantage of the good?
Ecclesiastes 7:18-21
“18It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.
19Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. 21″
Hi Nick…God didn’t give us balance. Evil does not balance out good in the universe. If there was no such thing as evil, then there would be no need to “balance” it. Again, evil does not exist to “balance” out the good, but since it does exist, it is wise to understand it–not to achieve balance, rather to understand and be able to counter it and it’s impact in our lives. Also, you don’t do evil to avoid naiveté, you merely need to understand it. Jesus was sinless yet dined with sinners. For the rest of us your passage in Ecclesiastes applies. Good talk. Love you. –Paul
I see your point! But, to understand evil, you have to have experienced it, or atleast have had it crossed your mind. It says thinking a sin is no different than acting it out(I disagree). I believe that god is capable of evil the same as we are. He uses it to exact his justice or revenge. It says he’s a vengeful god, and he did destroy earth and sodom & gamorra. I believe his methods could easily be considered evil, but the purpose was just. He understands and uses it for his purposes all through out the bible. He allows the devil to do so to job simply to prove his point(this book is disturbing to me), and I see him equally as responsible for jobs losses as the devil is. This is my opinion obviously, lol. Also in my opinion, it is peoples faith that god is incapable of evil that doesn’t allow them to see my prospective. That isn’t any proof that he is incapable, but merely an opinion. An opinion that isn’t any greater than mine. There are those that follow the bible for what is says, and then their are those that follow their logic, reasoning, and understanding of the two. Its amazing how a person who is using merely a improved understanding gained through common logic and reasoning can pose such an opposition for a believer. For the believer to argue the matter and maintain their credibility and faith, they must study the bible, which even then it all falls back solely on their faith. I am not trying to be derogatory, but explaining a point of view. Sorry if it comes across that way!
Nick…you are slightly ahead of me. In my next iteration of “God and Evil”, I was going to go into Natural Evil. And in that regard, you are correct in what you say above. But the difference comes in how we define evil. Without writing my next post in a reply to your comment I’ll just ask a few questions… Is natural evil truly evil? Is the existence of death evil? Can God truly be charged with “evil” by permitting or causing these things? You assume yes above, but I disagree. The issue is the definition of evil…more to follow.
With regard to your discussion of faith and the Bible (which always seems to be a major sticking point with you), God has revealed Himself many ways (His creation, His Son, His Word, His Holy Spirit, His Church etc.). None of these can be understood without reasoning. Every man must account for how he deals with God, and every man is different. Some let reason rule over God’s Word (you), and some use reason to understand God’s Word in a world that opposes it (me). Reason is God’s gift, it helps us get from the finitude of His revelation to the infinitude of who He is. It is a bridge.
Can you explain what you mean by, “It’s amazing how a person who is using merely an improved understaning gained through common logic and reasoning can pose such an opposition for a believer”? I’m not sure what you are getting at here.
I would like to emphasize something real quick about faith. I acknowledge my faith and I am intentional about where my faith is placed. Those that battle against faith choose not to acknowledge their own faith, and therefore cannot be intentional about where they place it. Your faith is in your reasoning. You believe (e.g. have faith) that your “logical” perspective of the world is reality, and faith placed elsewhere in inappropriate. You have faith, and it is in yourself (I don’t intend to be derogatory either, so please don’t interpret me so). You believe that Truth has come to you via your reasoning, I believe that Truth is revealed by God. We both have faith, but I acknowledge and am intentional about where I place mine. I am fallible, sinful, crude, ignorant, illogical, and selfish. I must place my faith on something more solid than my ability to reason. Love you. –Paul